Village of Bayside responds to increase in coyote sightings

City holds seminar to give residents advice

Coyote sightings are on the rise along the Northshore, and the Village of Bayside is taking action.

Viewers from several Northshore communities emailed WISN 12 News pictures taken recently of coyotes in their neighborhoods.

Bayside resident Peggy Yee took a picture of a coyote in her back yard just before the first snowfall. She said she’s been on high alert since then.

“The most I’ve seen is usually two walking together,” Yee said. “Some of them are mangy-looking and scary, and if there are small dogs around, they are known to be attacked, and it’s hard to get them to leave your yard. They are very brazen and they’re used to humans now and they just lay there and look at you.”

Village leaders said they see more coyotes out for mating season because spring is around the corner. They said they want residents with small pets and children to be aware of the ways to protect themselves in case they come face to face with one.

City officials have tried several ways of dealing with coyotes in the past, from spraying wolf urine to putting traps into community parks and trails. They said the best tool is education.

Officials organized a seminar on Wednesday to give residents tips on how to act if they see a coyote near them or their small pet.

Lynsey White Dasher, an urban wildlife specialist with the Humane Society of the United States, said coyotes are typically afraid of humans, but people typically don’t react when they see the animals.

“So it’s important to yell and wave your arms and say, ‘go away, coyote,’” she said. “You can blow (a) whistle or shoot them with a water hose or squirt gun.”